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PART II: FELICITY

When I was still a kid, my birthday was one of the events that I looked forward to each year. Dad would easily grant my wishes like a Genie while mom would send me something exciting like a fairy – it happened every 5th of August usually! The people in our community, even those who weren’t close to me, would greet me whenever they’d see me around as if I was a politician or a celebrity. And as a youngster, there’s no way that the given special attention and fabulous gifts wouldn’t awaken my exuberant spirit. Happiness! But now that I’m old, I prefer to spend it quietly and just let it pass by like an ordinary day. With all honesty – without hypocrisy – it no longer matters whether I’d receive gifts or not. Also, the extreme enthusiasm brought by having parties doesn’t capture my interest anymore. I would rather reserve that feeling for my son’s birthday bash! 🙂

FIRST TIME EVER:

I took a day off from work on my birthday. I never did it in the past and I actually liked the idea of freeing myself from stressful things on my special day. It will definitely happen again in the future! 🙂 (Boss, please approve my “birthday leave” yearly) 😀 Another thing, it was my first time celebrating it now that I’m already a mom. Yes, Sage, as an addition to our small family, surely made a difference! 🙂

AMAZING THINGS HAPPEN WHEN YOU LEAST EXPECT THEM:

Like what I mentioned, I did not expect a lot of fuss to happen on august 5. But on the contrary, many marvelous things came about on that day and I could say it was one of the birthday celebrations I’ve had that’s truly worth reminiscing.

The unexpected gifts:

A night before my birthday, Rowel surprised me with this awesome present. I almost cried, because I wasn’t really expecting for anything! And guess what? Someone else was more excited for mommy’s new toy. 🙂 At least, I wasn’t the only one who’s happy!

I’ve got a new bag! Thank you Ate Rossette and Kuya Roi Pallones. 🙂 You guys are just so awesome.

Thank you for this fabulous slippers Vang! You so know my needs. 🙂 I can’t wait to wear them on October! 😀

Dhay Roselyn, thank you for being so thoughtful! I love the shirt. 🙂

A fabulous gift from an equally fab friend, FRANCE!!!

The Birthday Dinner Date

A few days before my natal day, my hubby already told me that we would eat dinner in one of the Mexican Restaurants in Al Khobar. Rowel and I are pretty adventurous when it comes to food and I always trust his preference. Oh well, it has no difference with my own! 🙂 To continue, when the day came, we went out of our apartment at around six in the evening and reached LA FONDA 30 minutes after. As soon as I saw the sign, I was so thrilled . So, I hurriedly hopped out of the taxi when it stopped and entered the restaurant without delay. However, when I saw the interior of the place, my excitement was soon gone. It looked creepy and untidy. Nobody was there except us and the sloppy waiter. We checked the menu though. The food looked yummy, but I wasn’t really comfortable with the place. And so we decided to leave…

We were looking for Applebees and Taco Bell as alternatives. But the thought of “the usual food” bothered us. Good thing, as we headed to Applebees, we found this fascinating Italian eating place that we’d always wanted to try since I was pregnant with Sage. Without hesitation, we entered the LA GONDOLA restaurant. The elegant ambiance, presentable waiters and friendly manager, the sumptuous menu and the romantic music on the background made us fell in love with the place right away! We were told that it’s the number one Italian Restaurant in Al Khobar, Saudi Arabia, and it even impressed us when we learned that their chef is an Italian. We couldn’t really question the authenticity of the taste. No wonder, there’s a lot of people who dined there. It was a bit pricey, but each bite was worth every penny!

WHAT WE HAD FOR DINNER???

BUON APPETITO!!!!!

Complimentary: The sauces which perfectly matched the herb bread really pleased us! Even if the night was already over, Rowel still kept on saying how delicious the bread was!

Because we didn’t know how to pronounce what’s written on the menu, we just pointed to the waiter the food that we wanted to order. hahahaha

Fresco Di Mare Doni Del Mare: We didn’t know how they did it, but every food they served was excellent. These grilled sea foods were just so good! I love how the white sauce balanced the saltiness and distinctive taste of the sprinkled herbs. Very satisfying!

Greek Salad: Rowel’s choice of side dish

Gelato Misto:What’s the best way to end a meal? Eating Italian Ice cream of course! 🙂

I should not forget to thank the wonderful waiters who were kind enough to carry Sage while we were savoring our dinner. I was so glad that my son entertained them, so it wasn’t a burden for them to do so.

I’m really grateful to my Heavenly Father for blessing me with another wondrous year. I hope and pray that my life will be lengthened, so that I could still enjoy the company of my beloved family and friends.

To all those who greeted me, thank you, mahalo, salamat, shukran…. I felt loved!

More than the lavish food and marvelous presents, it is the thought of spending my birthday exclusively with my two invaluable gifts – my lovies – that made it super special.

THE AUTHOR: Charisse M. Bien

An online journal of a simple woman who wants to achieve extraordinary things - definitely not for the sole purpose of pleasing the eyes of humans - for the gratification of the One who makes her life amazingly blessed! :)

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